info@burtsrx.com
It’s Arthritis Awareness Month! This month, Burt’s Pharmacy and Compounding Lab will discuss different ways to treat and manage an arthritis flare-up.
This Arthritis Awareness Month, it is essential to spread the word about arthritis. While there are nearly 55 million Americans diagnosed with arthritis, there are even more people out there without a diagnosis, suffering from symptoms they don’t understand.
This is especially true when painful symptoms come and go without warning. When the symptoms get worse and limit your mobility, you are having an arthritis flare-up. Understanding flare-ups will help you figure out how to treat them.
Let’s start by defining arthritis flare-ups.
What Is An Arthritis Flare-Up?
No matter what type of arthritis you have, a flare-up can happen, and it can last for days or weeks. Flare-ups are due to inflammation and can be very painful and have symptoms of swelling, pain, and stiffness in the joints. You may also experience fevers, and many people report feeling overwhelming fatigue.
During a flare-up, the medicines that typically work do not have the same positive effect. No matter what you try, nothing seems to help.
What you may not know is that there are specific things that can trigger an arthritis flare-up. If you can figure out your triggers, you can work with your pharmacist and physician to develop a treatment plan that works.
Potential Arthritis Flare-Up Triggers
Triggers are related to anything that causes inflammation in the body. Yes, that’s a broad answer, but there are numerous culprits you encounter every day. Let’s try to narrow down the trigger list as much as possible.
Every person is different, even when it comes to arthritis flare-ups. Factors like age, gender, weight, and activity level are factors to consider when studying triggers. There are common flare-ups, however, including overdoing it.
When you push yourself past your physical limits while participating in an activity, you may cause a flare-up. Your joints may feel good at the moment, but as you slow down, inflammation can set in. Another trigger is when the joint has been hit or traumatized. If you have ever accidentally bumped your knee on the coffee table or fallen, using your hands or knees to catch you, then you know the pain that can follow.
Other triggers can include:
- Bone spurs
- Weight gain
- Colder weather
- Stress
- Infections
Furthermore, allergies, diet, drinking alcohol, smoking, and certain medications can contribute to inflammation in your joints.
There are many viable ways to treat an arthritis flare-up. The first step is figuring out your triggers.
Managing Flare-Ups
Once you know the causes of your flare-ups, you can start implementing actions to prevent them when possible and treat them successfully all the other times.
One treatment is with the use of compounded medication.
1. Compounded Medication
When medicine is compounded, it is made from scratch by your pharmacist. The medication is created with ingredients with only you in mind, unlike the mass-produced pharmaceutical manufacturing drugs by large pharmaceutical companies.
Mass-produced medicines are created with the idea that one pill can treat all people, despite the many physical and psychological differences.
Compounding pharmacists understand mass-produced drugs are not suitable for everyone and can create more problems through side effects and interactions.
Ask your pharmacist to create a topical pain cream to treat your symptoms, considering any allergies and other medicines you are taking.
2. Mobility Devices
When you have arthritis, movement can be limited or even severely impaired, depending on the amount of inflammation at the time of a flare-up. You can’t always stop life or quit your daily responsibilities during a flare-up, however.
Mobility devices have been created that assist you in completing your routine while also preventing your flare-up from getting worse.
Crutches and canes are often used by those with arthritis. They are easily adjustable and provide support for balance when walking and take the pressure off joints that are inflamed. When walking with a cane is not enough to support your needs, you may want to take advantage of the support a walker can provide.
Knee walkers allow you to rest your leg on a padded seat while you guide the device using handlebars and your leg that is not in pain.
Wheelchairs can be used by those who cannot walk for any distance without pain. The same is true for electric mobility scooters. You can choose from light, portable scooters or more bulky but also more stable ones.
3. Self-Care
An arthritis flare-up is a signal of inflammation. It’s essential to pay attention to these signals. Make yourself a priority and do things that can minimize the pain and swelling.
Getting rest is one of the best tips for controlling flare-ups. The body needs time to heal, and if you continually push yourself without rest, your joints will feel the impact. Get the recommended hours of quality sleep each night.
As you work with your pharmacist to create personalized, compounded medicine, get their advice on over-the-counter anti-inflammatory solutions. Talk to them about using hot and cold therapy products, braces, and wraps to mobilize the inflamed areas and proper stretches to ease symptoms.
Stress can lead to internal inflammation that leads to flare-ups. Do whatever you can to reduce stress in your life. Practice yoga, meditation, prayer, massages, physical therapy, counseling, or even take a warm bath with essential oils.
Self-care also means changing lifestyle habits that reduce inflammation. If you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol, quit. Both are linked to inflammation and stress on the body. Decrease your intake of sugar by switching to lower carbohydrate and lower sugar foods. Sugar is a known cause of inflammation.
Drink a lot of water, which flushes out toxins and encourages your organs to function correctly, allowing your immune system to fight off inflammatory responses better.
4. Ask for Help
Finally, ask for help. You are not expected to overcome arthritis flare-ups all by yourself. Start by asking your pharmacist questions about flare-ups and implement their advice. They are experts with great knowledge about arthritis. You can even start today by reaching out online, by phone, or visiting them in person. Pharmacists are eager to help.
